Call Lightning 5e - D&D 5th Edition Spell Book
Call Lightning 5e Spell Effects
3rd-level evocation
Casting Time: 1 action
Range: 120 feet
Components: V, S
Duration: Concentration, up to 10 minutes
A storm cloud appears in the shape of a cylinder that is 10 feet tall with a 60-foot radius, centered on a point you can see within range directly above you. The spell fails if you can't see a point in the air where the storm cloud could appear (for example, if you are in a room that can't accommodate the cloud).
When you cast the spell, choose a point you can see under the cloud. A bolt of lightning flashes down from the cloud to that point. Each creature within 5 feet of that point must make a Dexterity saving throw. A creature takes 3d10 lightning damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. On each of your turns until the spell ends, you can use your action to call down lightning in this way again, targeting the same point or a different one.
If you are outdoors in stormy conditions when you cast this spell, the spell gives you control over the existing storm instead of creating a new one. Under such conditions, the spell's damage increases by 1d10.
At Higher Levels. When you cast this spell using a spell slot of 4th or higher level, the damage increases by 1d10 for each slot level above 3rd.
All information on Call Lightning 5e comes from the DnD Player's Handbook.
Classes That Can Cast Call Lightning 5e
Of all classes in the Player's Handbook, only druids gain access to casting call lightning 5e. Yes, call lightning is purely a druid spell.
You would think that sorcerers, wizards, and even nature domain clerics should perhaps be able to cast the spell, but the official rules say otherwise.
Call Lightning Spell Effectiveness
| Damage | 3rd-Level Spell | 4th-Level Spell | 5th-Level Spell | 6th-Level Spell | 7th-Level Spell | 8th-Level Spell | 9th-Level Spell |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Damage Dice | 3d10 | 4d10 | 5d10 | 6d10 | 7d10 | 8d10 | 9d10 |
| Average Damage | 16.5 | 22 | 27.5 | 33 | 38.5 | 44 | 49.5 |
| 3-Target Damage | 49 | 66 | 82 | 99 | 115 | 132 | 148 |
| Average Fighter DPR | 19 | 23 | 27 | 30.5 | 34 | 37.5 | 41 |
Call Lightning Spell Damage
This table provides information on the damage that Call Lightning 5e could do, as compared to a fighter of a similar level (based on the level it would take to cast each spell level). Average fighter DPR refers to their damage per round, which is roughly calculated prior to factoring in hit chance. Also, note that call lightning could easily hit more (or less) than the 3-target damage numbers shown above.
Call Lightning 5e Usefulness
Every spell in D&D 5e that can hit multiple targets has the potential to be absolutely game-breaking when it's cast in the right situation. Try using call lightning in the following ways to maximize its usefulness for you.
- If you're outside, and see multiple enemies clumped together - at least 2, but preferably 3 or more - blast them with call lightning for some huge damage.
- Cast call lightning 5e on any enemies who (somehow) have lightning vulnerability, to double your damage.
- Since you can call down lightning bolts using this spell, every round, for no additional spell slots, try using it when you're besieged. That is, if your enemy has to attack into your position, then the cloud you created can continue to rain down lightning damage upon them.
- For additional value, cast call lightning 5e whenever you happen to be fighting in a storm. Since the spell deals an additional 1d10 damage in stormy weather, this is an excellent time to go crazy with lightning.
- Finally, cast call lightning against enemies with low Dexterity save scores. The higher your hit chance with call lightning 5e, the less likely you are to have your spell damage halved from successful saving throws.
Lightning Damage Resistances, Immunities, and Vulnerabilities
When using call lightning 5e, it's worth knowing ahead of time that in the DnD Monster Manual, there are 35 monsters with lightning damage resistance, 10 monsters with lightning damage immunity, and yes - 0 monsters with lightning damage vulnerability.
Of course, you may come across situations where your dungeon master throws in enemies who have lightning damage vulnerability, but aside from that, call lightning only has liabilities. As with spells like acid splash 5e and burning hands 5e, where tons of monsters have resistance, be very careful about using call lightning on enemies. The worst thing you can have happen is to only deal half damage - or even no damage - against enemies, from casting your 3rd-level spell.
Combine Call Lightning with the Following Spells
Pretty much every damage-based spell becomes more powerful when combined with other spells. Try out some of these high-powered mixtures for some spectacular results.
- Alarm 5e: this one's a little more for fun than optimization. But just imagine setting up the alarm spell while you sleep outdoors. If a group of goblins comes to ambush you, not only are they surprised when your party is already awake, but they'll be absolutely stunned to see the flashing light of an incoming lightning bolt.
- Bane 5e: as with basically every damage spell in D&D, casting bane on your target to lower their saving throw by 1d4 before crushing them with lightning is a major plus. Note that since bane, like call lightning, is also a concentration spell, you'll need to have an ally to set up this combo.
- Haste 5e: since call lightning 5e says that "on each of your turns until the spell ends, you can use your action to call down lightning," it isn't perfectly clear if the limit of lightning bolts is once per turn, or once per action you spend. If the limit is actually actions spent, then having haste maintained on you by an ally actually allows you to effectively double-cast call lightning each turn, causing really massive damage into entire groups of enemies. In any case, this is one where you should strongly consider asking your dungeon master for backup, to let you have some lightning-based fun.
Call Lightning 5e Counters
As with any spell that requires concentration, you have to be cautious about taking damage, or else the spell effect could fade. Also, just note that any enemy who has silence 5e can prevent you from casting call lightning. Meanwhile, enemies affected by Bless 5e have +1d4 on their Dexterity saving throws, making call lighting less likely to hit for full damage.
Perhaps one of the biggest counters to call lightning 5e is that enemies can simply leave the 60-foot radius area that the cloud covers. Once enemies are out of that area, they can no longer be targeted by that same call lightning spell.
Call Lightning-Type Spells in Eternity TTRPG
In the Eternity TTRPG Game System, there are actually a number of spells very similar in nature to Call Lightning 5e. I've provided one example below, in case you're interested in other Games Like DnD which you may not have heard about before.
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Author - Jacob Tegtman
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Transcribed content from our recent YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=257fKzW8yzA Transcription Before there was Game of Thrones, Baldur’s Gate, and Critical Role.… there was Dragonlance .  A fantasy saga that defined an entire generation of D&D players — epic wars, tragic heroes, and dragons that actually felt like dragons. But if you aren’t familiar, what is Dragonlance — and why are we still talking about it in 2026? Well to answer that last question, the new “Legends Edition” which is the second Trilogy of Dragonlance is coming to Amazon in February. This is a big deal because getting new copies of the original Dragonlance Chronicles Trilogy, and now this second “Legends” Trilogy was becoming very difficult. I’m hoping these new prints rekindle the spark of one of the greatest D&D settings and novel series of all time, and introduce even more people to its magic. Welcome back to Eternity TTRPG, your home for D&D history, lore deep-dives, and the stories that shaped the game we play today. If you love tabletop RPGs, classic settings, and learning why D&D looks and plays the way it does today, you’re in the right place. So, let’s talk about one of my favorite fantasy settings – and fantasy book series of all times – Dragonlance . Dragonlance started as a bold idea from Tracy Hickman and Laura Hickman , later developed with Margaret Weis at TSR. To answer the burning question you may be having, right off the bat – yes, the Dragonlance adventures came before the book series. At the time, most D&D adventures were simple and modular. You’d kick in a dungeon door, fight some monsters, grab treasure, and move on. Dragonlance asked a very different question. What if Dungeons & Dragons could tell one long, epic story? Instead of disconnected adventures, the Dragonlance team wanted a campaign with a clear beginning, middle, and end. A single, continent-spanning war. A story that unfolded over time, not just session to session. To make that work, players wouldn’t create random characters. They’d play pre-generated heroes, each designed to fit directly into the narrative, with personal arcs baked into the plot. That idea became the original Dragonlance AD&D module series — eventually twelve linked adventures telling the story of the War of the Lance. On paper, it was revolutionary. At the table… it was complicated. The problem is simple. And honestly, you can probably pause the video here and tell me the problem, yourself, based on your own D&D games. It’s basically this: D&D games, and it’s players – are unpredictable. Dungeons & Dragons thrives on player choice, improvisation, and chaos. Dragonlance, on the other hand, needed players to be in very specific places, doing very specific things, at specific times. If the party ignored a hook, skipped a location, or made an unexpected choice, the entire story could fall apart. So the modules relied heavily on railroading — nudging, and sometimes outright forcing, players back onto the intended path. That tension made Dragonlance awkward to run as a campaign. The story was strong, but the format worked against the strengths of tabletop roleplaying. And that’s when Dragonlance found the form it was truly built for. To promote the modules, TSR (that is, the company founded by Gary Gygax and Don Kaye, to publish D&D) decided to release a trilogy of tie-in novels. That decision came late, the original author didn’t work out, and Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman ended up writing the first book themselves — in roughly three months. The result was Dragons of Autumn Twilight, released in 1984. Which, even talking about almost brings a tear to my eye – the book was just that impactful to me in my teenage years. TSR expected modest sales. But instead, the book was a massive hit. For many readers, this wasn’t just their first Dragonlance novel — it was their first D&D novel. It introduced the idea that a D&D party could be the heart of a fantasy epic, with flawed characters, emotional arcs, and long-term consequences. This is basically why Dragonlance matters to D&D history. And not just a little bit. It matters – a LOT. Dragonlance proved that Dungeons & Dragons wasn’t just a game system — it was actually its own entire storytelling engine. If you haven’t read the novel series, I have some amazing news for you, shortly. But at its core, Dragonlance is about one idea: hope in darkness. The world of Krynn is broken. The gods are distant. War is everywhere. People are scared, tired, and cynical. But, the world of Dragonlance isn’t saved by a single chosen hero. Instead, this novel series tells you that the world can be saved when ordinary people choose to do the right thing, even when it’s hard, and even when it feels pointless. That philosophy shaped the tone of the setting. Dragonlance was darker than most TSR-era worlds, but it was never hopeless. Friendship mattered. Faith mattered. Sacrifice mattered. Umm, a lot. Those themes became incredibly influential, especially for party-focused storytelling in D&D campaigns. Dragonlance also changed how dragons were treated in D&D. Before this, dragons were often just very powerful monsters. Dangerous, sure — but still just another encounter. Dragonlance made dragons rare, mythical, and world-shaping. What becomes the mystical return of dragons isn’t just a side quest in this setting. It’s THE central event that changes the balance of power across the entire world. That idea — that dragons should feel legendary, and not just routine — stuck, and it still shapes how dragons are presented in modern D&D. After the success of the original trilogy, Weis and Hickman followed it with Dragonlance Legends, which is what I’ll be getting to more about in just a few minutes. Instead of escalating to an even bigger war, Legends zoomed in. It focused on the twins from the first trilogy: Raistlin and Caramon Majere, and on the topics of ambition, responsibility, and the cost of power. It introduced time travel – which to be honest, I don’t love – personal tragedy, and consequences that felt intimate. This trilogy, too, was a massive success, even hitting the New York Times bestseller list — a first for TSR. For a brief moment, Dragonlance wasn’t just a D&D setting. It actually became the face of D&D storytelling. But Dragonlance’s greatest strength eventually became its weakness. The setting was tightly bound to one story and one cast of characters. Once the War of the Lance was resolved, the world of Krynn felt… finished. New stories struggled to find the same weight. Bigger threats felt repetitive. New heroes had a hard time stepping out of the shadow of the originals. Unlike the Forgotten Realms, Krynn never felt like a neutral playground. It felt like a world where the most important story had already happened. And slowly, Dragonlance faded from the spotlight. Dragonlance went quiet after 2010. But in February 2026, we’re getting a new hardcover release of Dragonlance Legends — collecting the full trilogy with new behind-the-scenes material from Weis and Hickman. It’s not a full revival of the setting. It’s a reminder of an important moment in D&D history, when the game experimented with storytelling in a way that permanently changed how we think about campaigns. This trilogy about the twins: Raistlin and Caramon – is coming after the Chronicles trilogy was rereleased (I believe) just this last year – I got my copy from Margaret Weis at GenCon. These books haven’t been in print for some time. So, if you like what you’ve been hearing about Dragonlance, or you – like me – are a longtime fan, you may want to pick these up. You can get the original Chronicles Trilogy on Amazon now, and the second Trilogy – Legends – is coming out this February. Dragonlance asked a question that D&D is still trying to answer: Is this game about total freedom… or about telling powerful stories? Most tables today try to balance both. And whether you loved Dragonlance or bounced hard off its railroads, its influence is still baked into how D&D is played, written, and remembered. So I want to know — have you read Dragonlance, or played in a campaign set in Krynn? Would you run a Dragonlance campaign today, or does it feel too tied to its story? Let me know in the comments, like the video if you enjoyed it,subscribe for more D&D deep dives, and I’ll see you next time.
Transcribed content from our recent YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4kh5bY2opoA Transcription The holidays just got more magical… and a little chaotic! Today we’re unwrapping the brand-new One-Shot Wonders: Holiday Adventure Pack on D&D Beyond, perfect for your next winter game night — whether you’re running one session or surprising your group with some festive mayhem! This pack delivers not just one, but five holiday themed adventures that you can run in about 3 hours each — from silly toy factory break-ins to battling puddling gremlins and more!” So what exactly is in this Holiday Adventure Pack? The pack includes five standalone adventures, each designed for a specific level range, from early Level 1–2 play all the way up to Level 11–12. Each adventure is built to be completed in a single three-hour session, with minimal prep required and optional guidance for scaling difficulty up or down depending on your party. Included are also five fully illustrated battlemaps, featuring festive locations like a toy factory, an ice castle, and a grand holiday banquet hall. These maps are compatible with D&D Beyond’s Maps VTT, making them easy to drop into both in-person and online games. Additionally, you can have fun with three brand-new monsters: the Great Fir Drake, Pudding Gremlins, and the Snow Sphinx. Sometimes I feel these kind of holiday-themed monsters add charm to end-of-year games, and other times, I think it’s a bit of stretch to add them because they can feel a bit gimmick-y. But these ones, I like. Each creature comes with full stat blocks, original art, and lore, giving DMs memorable seasonal threats that still feel mechanically distinct and interesting to run. One thing I really like are the four new playable species, including a Frosty-inspired Snowborn, a humanoid reindeer known as the Tarandus, the tree-like Hederan, and the fox-folk Canisar. These species are fully integrated into D&D Beyond’s character builder, making them easy to use for one-shots or even longer campaigns. The reindeer-people kind of freak me out a bit, but I’d play a snowborn. Rounding things out are twelve new magic items inspired by the Twelve Days of Christmas. These items lean into festive flavor while still offering practical in-game utility, making them fun rewards that won’t feel out of place at the table. If you’re like – well – most of us, getting everyone together during the holidays is tricky. That makes one-shots like these a pretty decent solution — fast, fun, and filled with seasonal character. And, often chaos! At $14.99 for the whole pack, it’s only about $3 per ready-to-run adventure , and that includes a lot of bonuses with the special holiday races, monsters, and 12-days of Christmas items. Overall, not a bad value for some D&D holiday cheer. So there you have it — a festive, fun, and flexible way to bring your group together this winter. Whether you’re gifting this pack to your DM or grabbing it to run your own seasonal session, the Holiday Adventure Pack on D&D Beyond is a great way to keep your table rolling into the new year. I’ve got a link to D&D Beyond in the video description for you, below, in case you want to pick it up! That’s it for today! Hit LIKE if you want more holiday game ideas, SUBSCRIBE for D&D news and tools, and let me know in the comments — which adventure would you run first?
Transcribed content from our recent YouTube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1GBbHsUFBR8 Transcription Visit the Final Fantasy Tabletop Roleplaying Legend Edition Website . Final Fantasy fans… it’s finally happening. A brand-new tabletop RPG built specifically to capture the tactical, job-swapping, limit-breaking chaos we love from the Final Fantasy series. But… for those of you who are familiar with Final Fantasy d20, and other predecessors to this Legend Edition, why make a whole new system when Final Fantasy Tabletop RPGs have already existed in the past? And what makes the Final Fantasy Legend Edition so special? Today, we’re diving in to the game that aims to become the definitive way to play in Ivalice—or any Final Fantasy world—at your table. Oh, and did I mention that this is a professionally-designed game book and PDF assets for every conceivable part of your game – and it’s all 100% free? That’s right, free. This is a passion project brought to you by Mildra the Monk and his amazing team that they’ve been working on for years. It’s absolutely incredible what they’ve put together, and you can get it for your table today – at no cost. Hey everyone, welcome back to ETTRPG—your home for tabletop news, deep dives, and world-building inspiration. If you love Final Fantasy, Tactics-style combat, or job systems with way too many builds to ever be able to properly enjoy it all, today’s video is for you. So, Final Fantasy TRPG: Legend Edition is a spiritual successor to the long-running Returners’ Final Fantasy RPG and its offshoots like Final Fantasy 4e and Omega Fantasy. But this isn’t just a rehash—this is a completely modernized, research-driven rebuild of the whole system. The devs, among them Mildra the Monk, who has been a big supporter of us at Eternity TTRPG for years, spent three years dissecting the games, the lore, the combat, and all the unique systems that Final Fantasy fans love. The result? An intermediate-complexity tabletop RPG laser-focused on recreating the true Final Fantasy experience – at the table—without any confusing crunch, or decade-old legacy rules. Ok, as I mentioned, there are other Final Fantasy tabletop systems already. But here’s what it boils down to for why it was worth it for Mildra and his team to create this new system. Number one: Simplicity None of the previous games fully capture the mythos of Final Fantasy while still giving players complete setting freedom . Where earlier systems often tied you to a specific world, tone, or era, Legend Edition was built around a single core design principle, which is: “Mythos over setting.” This means the rules capture the soul of Final Fantasy—Summons, Jobs, elemental affinities, cinematic abilities—but they don’t lock you to Ivalice, Gaia, Spira, or any one timeline. Using this game system, you can: Recreate your favorite Final Fantasy world. Mash up multiple games. Or build your own world entirely from scratch. This is FF energy, but not FF rails , that makes it such a big deal. So, moving on, What Makes Legend Edition Stand Out? The first piece is: Ridiculously Modular Character Building. In the future, I plan to do more videos on Final Fantasy Legend Edition. But let’s content ourselves today by summarizing – at least for this section – that there’s 50+ Jobs drawn from across the franchise. Included are fan favorites and long-time classics such as Dragoon, Black Mage, Thief, Time Mage, Gunbreaker, and dozens more. Using these 50+ Jobs, you do in fact have over 25,000 job combinations available to you, as a player. And these aren't “same-y” class splashes. The track-based advancement system makes each mix feel meaningful, distinct, and highly customizable. Oh—and there are 14 playable races taken from the Final Fantasy universe , each with their own unique ability. This is one of the most flexible JRPG-inspired character engines out there. The second big item that makes the Legend Edition Stand Out is Streamlined, Row-Based Combat, like your favorite Final Fantasy games from back in the day. Legend Edition offers an easy-to-learn row-based combat system that keeps the spirit of classic Final Fantasy battles while speeding everything up. You still get things like: Elemental affinities, Status effects, Skills with cinematic alt uses, And powerful Limit break moments. But, the math is way smoother than you’d expect. You won’t need a calculator, like if you took Final Fantasy I directly to your table. Next up is that the book provide you with Mythos-Driven Campaign Systems. Final Fantasy stories, across all games even back to the originals, are political. Big factions, world tension, and meaningful alliances are core to the franchise. Legend Edition builds this directly into play with: A Reputation & Affiliation system . You also have what’s called “The Holdings system” to build your very own base. The game comes with expanded NPC creation rules, and a robust Skill Game system for non-combat set pieces. This is the stuff that makes your campaign feel like a Final Fantasy game, not just another “game like D&D,” but with a “Final Fantasy” sticker slapped on their for flavor. As if all of the core game’s features are not enough, The Expansion Books Are pretty Wild. The Ultimania Expansion adds: 28 new races , 4 new jobs , 300+ sample items , Airship & Mecha creation systems , plus More Skill Games and Affiliations. Meanwhile, the Enemy Intel Field Guide brings you 200 full NPC stat blocks , a Fully detailed bestiary, and Drop-in encounter prep tools. Basically, everything you need as a Dungeon Master to prep your game with maximum Final Fantasy feel, and minimal effort. Additionally, if you want to run FF Tactics, FFIX, FFX, or even a fully original world—these books give you all the toys for each of those specific settings. Wrapping it all up, Legend Edition emulates the cinematic spirit of Final Fantasy with its Big narrative beats, Cutscene-worthy skill moments, Dramatic faction politics, Summons that feel truly mythic, and Job classes that are meaningful extensions of character identity. If you’ve ever said “I wish Final Fantasy had a premier tabletop version,” this is the game you need to try out at your table, next. So, if you’ve made it this far, I think you and I both know it’s time for you to download your free copy of Final Fantasy Legends Edition. I’ve got that link in the video description below. But I want to hear from you: what do you think? Does Legend Edition finally deliver that top-quality Final Fantasy tabletop experience we’ve all been waiting for? And if so, what will be the first Job class you’ll try out? Let me know in the comments. Hit like, subscribe, and share this video with your party. Let’s get Mildra and his team the recognition on this masterpiece that they truly deserve. Until next time—may your crits be big, and your summons be even bigger.